Russia Drops Plan For Anti-Eurovision

Despite all its screaming about Eurovision 2014 winner Conchita Wurst, Russia has cancelled its plan to revive a Soviet-era version of the event next month. Via Pink News:

The 2014 contest – which was due to take place in Sochi in October – has since been cancelled, according to Russian news service Rusnovosti. Intervision, which ran between 1977 and 1980, had been set to be revived featuring countries with values closer to Russia’s, including China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Despite the cancellation, the show’s producers are reportedly still planning to hold a contest in 2015, blaming the “political situation” in Russia for the delay. Russia has meanwhile already confirmed its participation in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, despite Russian politician Vitaly Milonov calling for the country to boycott the “Eurovision sodom show”.

Meanwhile a pair of anti-gay local Russian politicians are mocking Conchita Wurst in a brief campaign clip. Via the Hollywood Reporter:

The video depicts several cartoon figures resembling this year’s Eurovision winner Conchita Wurst under a sign reading “There will be a parade!” in an apparent reference to repeated bans on gay pride parades in several Russian cities.Then, the two election candidates, Oleg Guz and Almaz Gismeyev — who, incidentally, represent the ruling party United Russia — are shown shaking hands to an offscreen announcement of their election slogan: “Against empty talkers and gays.” Originally released online by the candidates themselves, the video earned notoriety when the gay rights website GayRussia.eu reposted the video, and several Russian gay rights activists filed complaints, claiming that the video “incites enmity and hatred.”

RELATED: Gay travel sites are already selling tour packages to Vienna for Eurovision 2015. Aside from pride events, Eurovision is one of the most popular travel destinations for European gay men.